arXiv subjects

Ulrich F. Keyser

Publications and source records attributed to Ulrich F. Keyser.

24 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

Translocation frequency of double-stranded DNA through a solid-state nanopore

Solid-state nanopores are single molecule sensors that measure changes in ionic current as charged polymers such as DNA pass through. Here, we present comprehensive experiments on the length, voltage and salt dependence of the frequency of double-stranded DNA translocations through conical quartz nanopores with mean opening diameter 15 nm. We observe an entropic barrier limited, length dependent translocation frequency at 4M LiCl salt concentration and a drift-dominated, length independent translocation frequency at 1M KCl salt concentration. These observations are described by a unifying convection-diffusion equation which includes the contribution of an entropic barrier for polymer entry.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv2015

Measuring the Proton Selectivity of Graphene Membranes

By systematically studying the proton selectivity of free-standing graphene membranes in aqueous solutions we demonstrate that protons are transported by passing through defects. We study the current-voltage characteristics of single-layer graphene grown by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) when a concentration gradient of HCl exists across it. Our measurements can unambiguously determine that H+ ions are responsible for the selective part of the ionic current. By comparing the observed reversal potentials with positive and negative controls we demonstrate that the as-grown graphene is only weakly selective for protons. We use atomic layer deposition to block most of the defects in our CVD graphene. Our results show that a reduction in defect size decreases the ionic current but increases proton selectivity.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Electroosmotic flow rectification in conical nanopores

Recent experimental work has suggested that electroosmotic flows (EOF) through conical nanopores exhibit rectification in the opposite sense to the well-studied effect of ionic current rectification. A positive bias voltage generates large EOF and small current, while negative voltages generate small EOF and large current. Here we systematically investigate this effect using finite-element simulations. We find that inside the pore, the electric field and salt concentration are inversely correlated, which leads to the inverse relationship between the magnitudes of EOF and current. Rectification occurs when the pore is driven into states characterized by different salt concentrations depending on the sign of the voltage. The mechanism responsible for this behaviour is concentration polarization, which requires the pore to exhibit the properties of permselectivity and asymmetry.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2015

Non-decaying hydrodynamic interactions along narrow channels

Particle-particle interactions are of paramount importance in every multi-body system as they determine the collective behaviour and coupling strength. Many well-known interactions like electro-static, van der Waals or screened Coulomb, decay exponentially or with negative powers of the particle spacing r. Similarly, hydrodynamic interactions between particles undergoing Brownian motion decay as 1/r in bulk, and are assumed to decay in small channels. Such interactions are ubiquitous in biological and technological systems. Here we confine two particles undergoing Brownian motion in narrow, microfluidic channels and study their coupling through hydrodynamic interactions. Our experiments show that the hydrodynamic particle-particle interactions are distance-independent in these channels. This finding is of fundamental importance for the interpretation of experiments where dense mixtures of particles or molecules diffuse through finite length, water-filled channels or pore networks.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv2013

A Landau-Squire Nanojet

Fluid jets are found in nature at all length scales, from microscopic to cosmological. Here we report on an electroosmotically driven jet from a single glass nanopore about 75 nm in radius with a maximum flow rate ~15 pL/s. A novel anemometry technique allows us to map out the vorticity and velocity fields that show excellent agreement with the classical Landau-Squire solution of the Navier Stokes equations for a point jet. We observe a phenomenon that we call flow rectification: an asymmetry in the flow rate with respect to voltage reversal. Such a nanojet could potentially find applications in micromanipulation, nanopatterning, and as a diode in microfluidic circuits.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2013

Studying DNA translocation in nanocapillaries using single molecule fluorescence

We demonstrate simultaneous measurements of DNA translocation into glass nanopores using ionic current detection and fluorescent imaging. We verify the correspondence between the passage of a single DNA molecule through the nanopore and the accompanying characteristic ionic current blockage. By tracking the motion of individual DNA molecules in the nanocapillary perpendicular to the optical axis and using a model, we can extract an effective mobility constant for DNA in our geometry under high electric fields.

physics.bio-ph↗